Yuri drags in a ragged breath, head hanging.
Water drips from his hair, into his lap.
Plink.
Plunk.
Plink.
He watches them dully.
There's nothing fascinating about them, but they've somehow arrested his attention.
The shackles around each of his wrists have long since rubbed them raw.
He knows better than to hope he has a chance to break free, but still he's tried, the way he's seen other men try before him.
"Shall we have another go at it, Briar?" Ludendorff stops his pacing to stand directly in front of him.
Yuri lifts his head, peering at him blearily.
Everything aches.
Each shallow breath makes him feel like something in his chest is caving in.
Ludendorff holds a hand up, inspecting his nails without even a glance at Yuri, acting as though he is nothing more than a mere trifle, far beneath his notice.
As a commanding officer, Ludendorff had been someone he'd looked up to, had admired even.
He's ruthless, efficient, and he'd won the unwavering trust of the men who served underneath him.
Yuri had considered it an honor to serve underneath him.
It's these same attributes, however, that have earned him the fearful reputation he has. He's broken every man who ever sat in this room before him.
His techniques are impeccable, his mercy nonexistent.
"My sister," with effort, he gets his tongue to move, "would never betray our country." As he goes on, it gets easier to inject force into his words.
They've been over this before.
Perhaps it's pointless, but he's speaking the truth.
Ludendorff has to see that. "I would never betray our country.
"If I had known anything, I would have brought it to your attention." He jerks at the chains holding his arms behind his back. Predictably, they don't budge. "You know me. You know where my loyalties lie. I would never…"
Ludendorff is unmoved.
"Should I recount the facts for you again?" he asked. "Your sister married one Loid Forger. One Loid Forger who, as it turns out, is none other than Twilight. Am I to believe her completely ignorant of this?"
"He tricked her! Of course he did! That bastard! How would she have known?" Yuri cries, jerking forward. The action does nothing except agitate his injuries further, but he doesn't stop. His heart is pounding. Maybe this is playing out exactly the way Twilight intended it to. "Let me free. I'll find Twilight for you. I'll track him to the end of the earth if I have to!"
"You were always so incredibly short-sighted when it came to your sister, Yuri." The use of his given name is enough to startle him into silence. "Perhaps it really isn't hard to believe you'd be blinded by her treason. Truly regrettable. You had such incredible potential. Some of the best I've seen in a long time." He sighs, shaking his head, and Yuri has to give him credit because he really does seem regretful
"She would never…!"
The slap that strikes him throws his head to the side. He sees white.
"You expect me to believe that, Yuri?" When the spots clear from his vision, Ludendorff still looks remarkably composed, if disappointed. It's like he hasn't moved an inch. "Such an obvious lie. I thought I had trained you better than that. You expect me to believe the Thorn Princess was so obviously duped? Or that you, so apparently dedicated to our cause, let Twilight slip by right from under your nose?"
"What?"
His sister? The Thorn Princess?
Sweet and clumsy Yor?
That can't be right.
Ludendorff smiles at him, at ease and in control. "So she didn't tell you then?" he says. "Just how much has she been keeping from you? Can you say with absolute certainty that she hasn't lied to you about this?"
Yuri has nothing to say to that.
His tongue has stuck to the roof of his mouth.
Maybe she has been lying to him this whole time.
How much has Yor kept from him?
No.
No, he can't let himself think like that.
This is his sister.
"If her sham marriage weren't damning enough, instead of turning him in, she has aided him in his escape and fled with him."
Yuri's stomach quivers.
Yor…
She wouldn't have betrayed their country, betrayed him.
Would she?
He realizes he can't answer that question with one hundred percent certainty and that… that scares him.
Throughout everything, his sister has been his constant.
Everything he's done for this country has been to keep her safe.
He's not sure what he would do without her.
He doesn't want to know what he would do without her.
But then… it isn't like she had known he would be put in this position. He'd been very careful to keep his profession secret from her.
Although it seems she had been doing the same?
Ludendorff steps back, nodding to someone behind him.
Yuri doesn't turn to look.
He knows what's coming.
"It isn't a lie!" He knows his words are having no effect on the man, but he can't stop himself and he despises this weakness. He strains, desperate, fingers clenching and unclenching. "She… Nnng!"
He bites down on his scream, throwing his head back.
The prongs are clamped on either side of the chair- both the metal chair and the water he's soaked in have served their purpose.
His body is now a conduit for the electricity they send coursing through the cables.
He can hear it, buzzing in his ears.
It's almost as painful.
He can't move, his muscles are paralyzed by the current holding his body hostage. He must be screaming, but, if he is, he can't hear it.
The current is shut off and Yuri slumps forward, shaking. His ears are ringing. He tastes blood on his tongue and realizes he must have bitten it through.
"I told you," he whispers, voice ragged. He doesn't have the energy to lift his head. Blood dribbles from his mouth, down his chin.
He reeks, he's sure, of human misery.
Of piss and blood and sweat.
His pride has been completely stripped from him.
"Ludendorff," he whispers, desperate now. "You know me. I would never…"
"Silence!" For the first time since the interrogation began, Ludendorff looks furious. It's not a look he'd worn often.
Hans Ludendorff, an unshakable mountain of a man.
The respect of his subordinates had not been for nothing.
And now, Yuri sees him without the mask of control for the first time. It paints a terrifying picture.
He cuts one of the most imposing and terrible figures in the State Security Service.
Ludendorff grabs Yuri by the hair, dragging his head back, forcing him to look him in the eyes. "You expect me to believe that your sister cut and ran with an enemy of the state all while none the wiser? You expect me to believe you, her only remaining family member, knew nothing of this?"
Yuri swallows, not an easy thing to do with his head currently wrenched back as far as it will go. "I wouldn't betray you," he whispers.
Ludendorff releases his hair and stands back. "And yet every traitor who has ever sat before me in that chair has said the exact same thing. I thought better of you, Briar."
"I…" Yuri begins, but he has no further protest.
But now he wonders…
If it was between the SSS and Yor…
His country or his sister…
Who would he pick?
His duty or…
What is his duty?
Is it truly what he had thought it was?
He had never thought he would be put in a position where he had to make such a choice. His goals had always aligned with each other.
Except now they don't.
And… he would choose Yor.
He would always choose his sister.
Always.
The realization awakens something in him, makes him sit a little straighter.
He'll do anything for her.
That starts with convincing Ludendorff of his innocence so that he can save his sister from her faux husband.
Ludendorff releases his grip on his hair, looking almost sorrowful. "Once, I would have believed you." He crouches down, cupping the back of Yuri's neck in a manner that might have been brotherly if circumstances had been different. For an instant, he's someone Yuri can rely on again, a mentor and comrade. Someone he would have given his life for. But the hand isn't warm, it isn't comforting. He slides it around till it rests just under Yuri's chin. He holds it there, steadily increasing the pressure until the back of Yuri's skull is pressed against the chair. Until it feels like he can't breathe.
"I'd hoped to avoid this outcome," he says. "Truly. You were among the best of the best." Is that genuine remorse in his tone? "I'd hoped to give you one last chance to avert this, but it's been decided already. You are to face the firing squad tomorrow morning." He stands, clasps his hands behind his back. The mask is back. Once again, he is as impassive as a marble statue.
Yuri feels dizzy, limbs tingling.
The firing squad…
Of course, he had been aware of the possibility. Yet it had been so very far from his mind during all of this.
How stupid… How very, very stupid.
He'd allowed himself to be caught off guard.
Worst of all, if he faces the firing squad, his sister will be alone.
He swallows the knot in his throat.
He isn't afraid of death. He'll face it with dignity.
They may call him a traitor, but he won't let them call him a coward.
Yuri hangs his head, as footsteps fade.
Yor… what am I going to do?
The door bangs shut with a note of finality.
They come for him in the early morning.
Yuri has spent the entire night preparing for this moment. He'd nodded off only drifting off once or twice, always shaken awake by the searing pain in his ribs when he breathed too deeply.
He's not quite ready for the pit drop in his stomach when he hears the cell door open with a bang.
Think of Yor…
Except he has been, all night, wondering how he could possibly face death without seeing her one last time, without telling her good-bye or how much she means to him.
How can he face death without knowing for sure that she's safe? How can she be safe when she's running with the enemy?
His chains are loosened, but he doesn't have a chance to fight back before they're refastened behind his back.
They are not gentle, but then, he didn't expect them to be.
He's been branded a traitor to his country.
He would expect nothing less.
Had he been in their positions, he would have treated a traitor with nothing less.
A blindfold is tied tightly around his eyes.
Nothing is said to him and he says nothing in return.
Begging for his life won't get him anything and he refuses to give them the satisfaction of seeing him plead.
They'll ask him for his last words before his execution.
That will be all.
He wonders if they feel any regret for this at all.
Only days ago, these men had been his friends. Or the closest things to friends he had been able to manage.
Now they're the ones leading him to his death.
He's escorted roughly from his cell, stumbling when he's shoved too forcefully, and he keeps his head bowed.
He should be carrying himself with pride, he knows, but the shame is overwhelming.
He had thrown himself into this work, but he's failed and miserably so.
It's hard to keep his chin raised under these circumstances.
He stumbles again, just barely keeping his footing, when someone behind him gives him a harsh shove.
Only days ago, these men had been his comrades.
So much has changed in such a short time.
Do they care?
Why does he care?
They're secret police. This is their duty.
Would he care if he were in their place?
It shouldn't bother him so much to know that, if the positions were reversed, he would be doing the same thing, but it does.
They keep a steady pace, a firm hand holding his elbow the entire way. He's careful to maintain his posture, gait even, back straight.
Death with dignity.
It's what he promised himself.
He's walked this route enough times in the past. He knows exactly where they are, can predict the turns they'll take and when.
What he can't predict is being stopped somewhere along the way or the exchange of words that follow.
"There's been a change of plans. I'll take him."
"But, sir…" The escort at his elbow- he's actually relieved to realize that he doesn't recognize the voice- sputters.
"I didn't think this was up for negotiation." But he also doesn't recognize the voice of this newcomer and it makes him uneasy. "Or should I perhaps speak to your commanding officer about…?" The threat trails off.
Whoever it is at his elbow knows better than to protest further.
What he can't predict is exchanging hands.
What he can't predict is being bundled into the back of a vehicle once they set foot outside.
He'd told himself that he was ready for this, but this… He can't think of any reason for them to be transporting him.
"What…?" he dares to ask, confusion getting the better of him.
He's rewarded with a cuff to the side of the head. "Be silent," the voice hisses.
The truck starts, engine sputtering.
Yuri tries to track where they're going, but his mind is addled from lack of sleep and poor treatment and there's too many turns for him to mark them all.
He has no idea where they're going.
He's so lost in his own head, he almost doesn't register when the car slows to a stop and the engine is shut off.
This isn't like him at all.
Yuri holds himself more tensely, stiffening even more when the door to his right opens.
A hand grabs his elbow, guiding him out.
"Hurry," the voice says stiffly. "We don't have much time."
Time?
Yuri frowns.
Time for what?
None of this is making any sense.
Behind them both, the engine starts again and there's a crunch of tires on gravel as the car pulls away.
Yuri hadn't realized anyone else was with them, but he doesn't have the time to dwell on it.
The hand moves from his elbow to the chains around his wrist.
He feels a tug and then, to his shock, he realizes this person is unlocking them. They fall to the ground with a loud clatter and he drags the blindfold from his head, throwing it to the ground beside the shackles, blinking when the light overwhelms him.
"Not here." Once again, he's being pushed forward, but this time, Yuri has had enough.
"Who are you?" He spins, trying to catch his opponent off guard, but he's out of sorts and it shows.
His wrist is grasped and he's spun around, pinned easily against the brick wall. He cries out when pain flares in his chest.
"Quiet. I only managed to buy us about an hour, but if you want to make this difficult…"
Yuri grits his teeth, heart racing.
"Yuri!"
What?
Yuri almost chokes on his surprise.
What is she doing here?
The hold on his wrist drops and he turns just in time for his sister to throw her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug.
Yuri wraps his arms around her, hugging her back, except... "Yor…?" he mutters, voice strained.
She's putting a little too much pressure on his ribs.
"I'm sorry!" Yor drops him immeditely and hovers, hands fluttering like she doesn't know what to do with them. "If I had known…" She trails off. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Yuri guesses she isn't just talking about his ribs. "Yor…"
"Now isn't the time." Loid- because it is Loid now that he can see again, Loid discarding the remnants of his disguise- urges them.
Indignation flares in Yuri's gut. "You…"
Here is Loid Forger.
Here is Twilight, his sworn enemy.
Worst of all, this is the man his sister married.
The one who lied to her and risked breaking her heart, the one who…
"Yuri…" Yor tugs on his elbow.
If he apprehends him now, there's still a chance he can earn himself back into the SSS's good graces. He could get both himself and his sister pardoned.
Loid meets his eyes evenly.
An unspoken challenge is presented there.
He knows exactly what Yuri is contemplating, likely knew there was always a chance it would come down to this, yet he still chose to save him.
How does he process that?
"Right." Yor ducks under his arm, looping it over her shoulders.
The moment is over.
And, Yuri realizes, the chances are slim that he would have been able to take on Twilight in the state he's in.
Now that he has a chance to study her, he can see the tightness in her expression. He can plainly read the bloodlust written across her face.
He isn't looking at Yor, he realizes.
He's looking at the Thorn Princess, one of the deadliest killers there is.
And it's with some shock that he realizes that all that anger is for him.
He's willing to fight and die for his sister.
It's something of a shock to learn that she's not only willing, but capable of doing the same for him.
Yuri doesn't even think to protest when she leads him along.
There's a van waiting for them, driven by a short, stocky man with a square face and curly hair. He isn't surprised to see that the little girl isn't with them.
"I can't believe you're making me do this," he grumbles once they're within earshot. "You owe me one."
His eyes on Yuri are narrowed with distrust.
Yuri glowers back- two can play that game just as well.
"Just step on it!" Loid is already in the front seat while Yor and Yuri pile into the backseat, unsure of what to say.
The man does as he's told, peeling away from the sidewalk hard enough to almost give all three of them whiplash.
"I told you to drive, not get us all killed!"
"Well, maybe you should have been more specific!"
Yuri doesn't know what to make of this, what to make of Twilight, who saved his life despite knowing that Yuri would just as soon have ended his own, despite knowing that saving him likely constitutes as treason in Westalis.
He also doesn't know where he stands with his sister now that their secrets have been laid bare.
She doesn't say anything either.
Yuri rubs the sores on his wrists, notices her watching him do so, and stops, tucking them where she can't see.
Her expression is pained when she lifts her eyes. "Yuri…"
Before she can continue, he asks, "Did you know?"
About Twilight.
Loid.
His own secrets and hers, they will discuss later when they can have a moment to themselves.
Although, now that he thinks about it, things are starting to fall into place now.
How his sister would come home covered in blood all those years ago… The cover story about the butcher shop.
He really had no idea.
He sighs.
Some officer he made…
That's something to unpack at another time.
Yor sits up straighter, cheeks tinged pink. "Not at first," she admits. She's looking at Loid, who eyes her up front from the rear view mirror.
Something unspoken passes between them.
"We both were in the dark about each other," Loid finishes carefully. "She was using me just as much as I used her." His gaze shifts from Yor to Yuri.
Even without words, Yuri can read the unspoken questions.
What are you going to do now?
Where do we stand?
And Yuri can't help it- he starts to laugh.
This whole situation… It's so utterly absurd.
They've all been pulling the wool over each other's eyes.
Both Yor and Loid stare at him as though he's lost his mind.
Maybe he has.
Maybe all that electricity has fried his brain.
Does it matter?
He keeps laughing.
Why is he laughing?
It makes his ribs hurt.
Yor grabs his hand.
He startles, casting a bewildered glance her way.
When did he get to the point where even a touch from his sister catches him off guard?
Yor only grips his hand a little tighter.
Yuri opens his mouth, tries to find something to say, and fails. He closes his mouth. He's not laughing anymore. He doesn't know why he was in the first place.
A moment later, he tries again to speak. "I still don't like you," is what comes out, but it's far less potent than he might have hoped.
If anything, he sounds like a petulant child.
Loid sighs. "I suppose anything else was too much to hope for."
"I told you this was a mistake, Loid…"
"Yeah, well, I don't remember asking for your opinion."
"When they want our heads for helping the enemy, will you ask for my opinion then?"
"I told you I'd figure it out!"
Their banter is beyond him.
He's never engaged in anything like this while in the SSS, although others had tried to engage him.
There had always been something more important.
And, if he's being honest with himself, he'd never been quite sure how to respond.
Yor smiles brightly at him. "They're like this sometimes."
Yuri doesn't know what to say.
He doesn't know what to think.
Loid Forger- no, Twilight- is his enemy.
To do anything less than arrest him on the spot and bring him in to stand trial is treason.
Isn't that what you already stand condemned for?
Too many conflicting thoughts are spinning around in his head. It's making him dizzy.
Yor's hand in his own stabilizes him in a way it shouldn't, in the way being near her always has. She seems perfectly at ease and she's certainly not in any danger.
Although he'd been right that she'd been duped originally.
(She hadn't been the only one.)
You were always so incredibly short-sighted when it came to your sister, Yuri.
Ludendorff's words come back to him.
There had been a grain of truth in them, after all.
But then hadn't he always known that?
"Listen, Yuri," Loid is turned around in his seat now, "out of all possible outcomes I'd planned for should my cover be blown, you facing execution was never on the table."
Yuri stares at him blankly.
Where is this going?
"So, for that, I suppose I owe you an apology."
Is he for real? Apologizing to me? The enemy?
"Hang on…" Yuri splutters. Why would Twilight apologize to him? He should be happy his exploits landed him in hot water. He should have been happy to have one less secret police officer on his back. He absolutely should not have been the one to come to his rescue. He should have…
"He did it for me, Yuri." Yor's gloom is an imposing force hanging over them. "I know you don't like him, but he isn't a bad person, I promise. He's not a bad husband either, even if… it was mostly fake." She trails off, blushing an impossibly deep red.
Mostly… Did they…? Yuri is pretty sure his face matches the shade of hers. He really doesn't want to think about his sister's love life, sham or not.
"Maybe we should stop talking about this," Yor whispers, shielding her face.
Yuri nods, lips pressed into a grim line, eager to leave this conversation in the past. His head is starting to feel heavy anyways. He rubs his temple with a frown.
Loid clears his throat. "Anyways…"
"Yes, of course!" Yor interjects. She latches onto Yuri's shoulder. "Yuri, we have a safe place we can stay until we figure this out! You'll be spending time with Anya- I know she'd love to hang out with her uncle."
That all… sounds nice, Yuri thinks.
"Give him some time to breathe, Yor," Loid says, but his voice is distant and hard to hear.
It's all catching up to him, Yuri realizes.
He's so, so tired.
He slumps, his head coming to rest on Yor's shoulder.
After a moment, her fingers come to rest on the top of his head, carding through his hair.
It should be humiliating, having her watch out for him again after all these years, after he swore to himself that he would be the one to protect her, but right now, he's simply too exhausted to care.
"It's alright," Yor whispers. "You've been through a lot."
Yuri Briar is a character I think about a lot- he ended up being my favorite character (one of them anyways- my other favorite is Damian), which quite surprised me because I normally don't like these kinds of characters at all, but I find him interesting. I think that, if handled carefully and properly, he could be a really well-developed and fascinating character. He's got the groundwork for it already, I think.
The siscon is toned down for this story- I don't feel comfortable enough or equipped to explore that right now- but in the future, it's something that might make for a nice character study. I'd like to see it be used as a tool to give him more growth instead of just a (pretty annoying) running gag, which is how it seems to me.
Spy x Family isn't really a series I have many theories for- I kind of just enjoy it as it comes along. However, the idea of an eventual Yuri vs Loid is an interesting one, but… my brain took that thought and said, "what if it didn't have to be that way?" Thus, I went and banged this out in two days and then sat on it for a length of time because I wasn't entirely confident in my characterizations. I'm still not, but I'm still pretty happy with this- even if the ending is pretty sappy, in my honest opinion. Most of the editing for this was done between (and during) flights, so please pardon any mistakes!